


What Would Please You

by JainaDurron7



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Annabeth and Estelle are best friends change my mind, Gingerbread House Decorating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28151148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JainaDurron7/pseuds/JainaDurron7
Summary: Annabeth joins Percy's little sister Estelle at school for gingerbread house decorating. With a little bit of friendly gossip...
Comments: 4
Kudos: 93





	What Would Please You

_ “Said Santa to a girl child, "What would please you most to get?" _

_ "A little baby doll that can cry, sleep, drink, and wet"” _

~ “Run Rudolph Run”, Chuck Berry

* * *

Being in her early twenties and not a mother, the last place Annabeth had expected to find herself over the holidays was at an elementary school in a second-grade classroom. But Percy’s little sister could be very persuasive when she wanted something. Although, it didn’t usually take much. Eight-year-old Estelle Blofis was like a little sister to Annabeth, and the young girl seemed to feel the same way because she’d begged Annabeth to come with her to school for her class’s Christmas party and gingerbread house decorating.

The first-grade classroom was full of family members— moms, dads, grandparents. Annabeth was easily the youngest in the room, but she didn’t mind as she sat in a tiny chair meant for an elementary child and conversed animatedly with Estelle.

“We are going to have the  _ best _ gingerbread house!”

“Well, of course. I am an architect. This is my job!”

Estelle giggled, wisps of her curly brown hair already falling into her face. Annabeth pulled the girl into her lap and set to redoing her pony while the teacher and one of the parents made their way around the classroom passing out the cardboard circle they would build their house on. “You’re my secret weapon,” Estelle whispered conspiratorially, and Annabeth grinned.

“I wouldn’t say it’s cheating, but I think we definitely have an advantage. Plus, you are for sure the most creative kid in this room.”

In the middle of Annabeth’s work, Estelle grabbed her ponytail and twisted it between her fingers. “I like stories.”

“Yeah. You’re just like your mom like that.”

“I like the ancient Greek stories. And you and Percy’s stories.” Suddenly, her face lit up and she jerked around in Annabeth’s lap to look at her. “We should make our house look like the Big House at camp!  _ Or _ , Percy’s cabin!”

“Ooohh,” Annabeth grinned. “I like that idea. Why don’t you look through the different candies and see what we can use to make it look like Percy’s cabin, okay?”

Estelle hurried off with a bowl to collect gumdrops and candy canes and Twizzlers from the counter across the classroom. Meanwhile, one of the parents stopped by with the supplies necessary for their house. She set down a piece of cardboard, two small milk cartons, and a stack of graham crackers, looking at Annabeth curiously with a disgustingly fake smile and her brows nearly touching her hairline. “So, you’re Estelle’s mom?”

Annabeth knew exactly what this woman was thinking, and she instantly hated her.

But before she could object, the mom was off to join a gang of gossiping mothers across the classroom. Annabeth spent a solid minute marveling at the audacity before Estelle rejoined her with a diverse mix of hard candies. She plopped into her seat excitedly, pointing out all her greatest finds to Annabeth. “They had Fruit Loops, and I think we should use the red and blue ones for seashells.”

“Perfect. Hey, Stelly, I have a question?” Annabeth subtly pointed across the classroom to where the mom had gone. “Do you know who that is?”

Instantly, Estelle’s face soured and she glared in that direction. “That’s Gracie’s mom.”

“Do you not like Gracie?”

Estelle shook her head. “She’s mean. She makes fun of me.”

“What does she make fun of you for?”

Estelle quickly turned her focus to the candies before her, and Annabeth followed suit as she waited patiently. “We have a reading corner where Mrs. Callies lets us write stories and read them to the class. I made stories about some of you and Percy’s quests and about Camp Half-Blood. I know I’m not supposed to tell people about demigods and the gods, but I told them it was all just make-believe. Gracie laughed at me and told me and told me I’m crazy.”

“Why?” Annabeth scoffed. “Because you know more about Greek mythology than her?”

Estelle shrugged.

“Well. Gracie is stupid.”

“Mom said we shouldn’t call people stupid.”

“Well, I think your mom would agree that we can call Gracie stupid.”

Face still turned inward and toward her candy, Estelle fought a chuckle, but it bubbled quietly from her.

Annabeth could hear the gaggle of 30-year-old women across the classroom whispering, laughing, caught sight of them every now and then glancing her way. She was focused on her and Estelle’s project, organizing the candies, preparing the frosting they would use to glue their graham crackers together.

But like the lisps of an audience in a theater, Annabeth caught every few of their words.  _ Young, teen mom, those scars, where’s the daddy. _

Annabeth woke from her reverie with balled fists and a tight jaw. She forced a slow breath, releasing all the tension in her body. “That’s it. Gracie’s mom is going  _ down. _ Estelle, we are going to make the greatest gingerbread house they have ever seen.”

The little girl grinned. “Yes! I wanna destroy them!”

“Well, unfortunately, we can’t destroy them. But! We can build an awesome gingerbread house. Now, let’s see …” She began gluing their graham crackers together with thick frosting and cementing them to their cardboard. Estelle frowned. “Annie, you’re supposed to glue the graham crackers to the milk cartons so they stand up.”

“Oh! No, Estelle, my dear. We don’t need milk cartons. We are too good for milk cartons. Graham crackers are for amateurs. Are we amateurs?”

“No! You’re an architect!”

“Yes! I am an architect, but, Estelle—! Ah! You are an expert, professional designer! I shall entrust the decorating of our magnificent house to you, alright?”

Estelle beamed brightly and set to work placing down her Mike & Ike’s and Fruit Loops following Annabeth’s meticulous piping bag work. They chatted between themselves, discussing whether they should use sour tape or Kit-Kats for the door, which marshmallow-pretzel person was which of Percy and Annabeth’s camp friends, and how they should arrange the M&M’s on the house’s roof.

Once they’d laid out all their plans and were deeply focused on their work, the two girls fell quiet for hardly a moment before Estelle found a way to pick up the conversation again. “I’m glad you’re here, Annabeth.”

“Me too. I’m really glad you invited me to come; I’m having a lot of fun with you.”

“I like having you over for Christmas. And any time you come over. You should come over every Christmas.”

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

“But you and Percy should have a baby before next Christmas.”

Annabeth nearly choked on the peppermint she’d snuck. “Excuse me?”

Estelle sighed heavily, setting down her handful of M&M’s with sticky hands. “I want a little baby in the family, but Mom said she and Dad aren’t going to have another baby.”

“That just means you get to stay the baby.”

“But I want an actual baby! And Mom said I should ask  _ you  _ for one. Who else will have one?”

“Alright. Fair observation.”

“Actually, I don’t mind if Mom and Dad don’t have another baby. I want you and Percy to have one.”

“Why do  _ we _ have to?”

“Well, you don’t  _ have to,  _ obviously. But I think you should.”

“And why is that?”

“Because! You and Percy would be really good parents. You guys babysit me all the time, and you always take good care of me.” She looked back to Annabeth, slanting a hand beside her mouth and whispered conspiratorially, “Plus, Mom wants to be a grandma.”

Annabeth laughed. “Why did you whisper that?”

“It’s a secret.” Estelle rolled her eyes. “That’s what Mom says. But she’s not very good at keeping secrets. But Mom says she’s not getting any younger and that you guys are making her wait forever.”

“Hmph! Did your mom put you up to this?”

Estelle shook her head, tucking her head back down, and Annabeth caught the blush creeping into the young girl’s cheeks. “I want to be an aunt. Then, I can babysit for you and Percy.”

“Ahh. You might be a little too young to babysit, but you could probably help your mom babysit.”

Her pupils dilated to twice their size in excitement. “Does that mean you’ll have a baby?!”

“Estelle!”

“Oh, come on! You guys waited  _ forever _ to get married!”

“What if we don’t want a baby right now?”

Estelle just stared at Annabeth for a second, that rosy bloom returning to her baby cheeks. She quickly looked away.

“Estelle! What are you thinking? What does that look mean?”

“Nothing!”

“Estelle. Did Percy say something about this to you?”

Estelle quickly grabbed the frosting bag, setting back to work, rolling her lips between her teeth.

“Estelle Blofis. Tell me right now. I command you.”

Estelle shook her head frantically.

“Estelle. I’m your ride home. I could leave you here all night.”

“You wouldn’t do that because you’re a good mom.”

Annabeth jabbed her in the side where she knew the girl was ticklish, and Estelle squealed. At least she knew the Jackson-Blofis siblings shared a couple of the same weaknesses. “Estelle Blofis. If you don’t start talking, I will steal all of your blue cookies.”

“No!”

“What did Percy say?”

“Nothing! He said nothing!”

“Estelle. Blofis. You have to the count of three.”

“No, Annie!”

“One.”

“Percy’s gonna’ kill me!”

“Two.”

“Ohh! He wants a baby. He really wants a baby, Annabeth! Mom asked him when you guys are gonna’ have a baby and Percy said he really wants one and he got all super red in his face! Then, Mom showed him this cute little shark costume online and Percy almost bought it! Please don’t tell Percy I told you!”

“Well, Percy should be talking to  _ me _ about that and not you or your mom.”

“But it’s okay because you both want a baby.”

“When have I ever said anything about wanting a baby?”

Estelle chuckled to herself.

_ “Estelle.” _

“You didn’t really have to  _ say _ anything about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, remember when you, me, and Mom went Christmas shopping at the mall the other day and we were at that kids’ clothing store looking for a dress for me?”

“Yeah…”

“And you kept staring at the baby clothes across the aisle the whole time?”

“I was not!”

“You stopped to look at those pajamas with the owls on it before we left.”

“So? They were cute.”

“You and Percy both want a baby!”

“Oh, shut up!”

“It’s not nice to say ‘shut up’!”

“It’s not nice to bully your sister, either!”

Estelle threw herself back in her chair and nearly fell off from laughing. “I’m gonna’ tell Percy!”

“Percy and I already know what both of us want.”

Estelle looked doubtful.

“You don’t know what Percy and I talk about.”

“But you’ve talked about having a baby?”

Annebth turned back to her own work, popping an M&M into her mouth. “Maybe.”

She caught the most subtle movement from the corner of her eye as Estelle ever so slowly looked up. “Are you guys gonna’ have a baby?”

When she merely shrugged, Estelle’s mouth fell open. “Annabeth?” Her voice hardly a whisper as though they were now knee-deep in a trench of secrets. “Are you pregnant?”

Annabeth couldn’t bite hard enough on her cheek to hide the grin she grew before clever Estelle saw. The girl gasped and jumped from her chair like an overactive firecracker. Annabeth couldn’t help but laugh— even as nearly all the parents and kids in the classroom looked their way.

“Annie!!”

“ _ Shhh _ . Hey! Calm down! You can’t tell anyone. Especially your mom and dad. It’s a secret until they open their gift from us on Christmas.”

“I’m going to be an aunt!”

“Estelle. Estelle, calm down!”

Before Annabeth could even drag the small girl out of the room, Estelle launched herself into Annabeth’s arms, screeching. “Oh! Okay. Calm down, Stelly.”

It took a few minutes, but Annabeth finally got Estelle to stop jumping and screeching long enough for them to finish their house. Estelle added another marshmallow person, made up of the mini marshmallows and a tiny smile made of a ripped up piece of Twizzlers. She had it behind a cone tree, and they called their work complete. At the end of the school day, Annabeth carried Estelle’s backpack while Estelle proudly carried out their masterful graham cracker rendition of Poseidon’s cabin out of the classroom.

“Not a word, Estelle,” Annabeth warned as they got in her car and headed back to the Blofis home.

Estelle pantomimed sealing her lips like a zipper.

“I’m serious. No squealing.”

“I promise. If you promise I get to hold the baby first.”

“Ha! Not happening.”

“Ooh, tough luck …”

_ “Estelle …” _

“Or, maybe hot chocolate?”

Annabeth groaned, shifting to the turning lane and setting course for Starbucks.


End file.
